Attitudes toward authority, Ron's complex, romance, SHARK ATTACK

[Tabouli]

No: HPFGUIDX 37541

Very interesting reflections on JKR's portrayal of ambition from Debbie, very interesting.

Debbie:
> I think Ron and Hermione are both partly right, based on their own perceptions of Percy. Hermione's refusal to believe Percy could ever throw a family member to the dementors, IMO, reflects the her compassion as well as her own interaction with Percy.<

Also, perhaps, Hermione's instinctive respect for authority figures and rules, reflected in her initial refusal to suspect Snape (and then assertion that Snape must be OK because Dumbledore respects him).    After Harry's treatment at the hands of the Dursleys, we wouldn't expect him to trust or respect authority figures.  However, it's interesting that *Ron* is so willing to believe the worst of authority figures like Percy the Prefect and Snape and Lockhart.  After all, his parents seem to be kind and caring, as far as well can see.  Something to do with the losing fight for attention with his older brothers and baby sister?  Perhaps knowing that adults are fallible and not always trustworthy through watching the foibles of adult older brothers?

Another thing that's always struck me a bit of a stretch is the position Percy appears to hold within the Ministry.  Seriously second in command in the Department of International Magical Cooperation straight out of school?  Directly supervised by the head of that department I can cope with, but seriously the person to take over when Crouch is indisposed?  Even if the orders came from Imperioed Crouch himself, surely *someone* would have questioned it.  Or is the problem that the only person with higher authority that the the senior Ministers is clueless (or secretly Evil) Fudge?

Debbie:
> IMO the twins' constant ridicule of Percy has so affected Ron that he's unwilling to take any action in pursuit of goals; rather he accepts recognition for passive events such as being attacked by Sirius in his dormitory or being rescued from the lake. Perhaps someone with a psychiatric background could tackle this.<

Oo, also interesting.  Too scared and self-conscious to try for fear of being upstaged yet again? (therefore if he fails, he can always tell himself he didn't really try anyway). Hmm.  Could be, could be.  Note that initially at least *Harry* hasn't done anything conscious to secure his fame either, he just passively lay in his cot and deflected Voldemort's AK.  *And* was made Seeker by virtue of breaking a school rule in defence of Neville.  How depressing for a boy who's already lived his life in his brothers' shadow.  Not to mention Ginny, who just sat there passively being the only girl and thereby getting special attention.  You could argue that Ron does have examples around him that passively awaiting something to happen can provide results...

On Tom Riddle, could Trelawney's first prediction have been that the Dark Lord would arise out of the Hogwarts Head Boy?

For those who weren't around for the last incarnation of the Ginny debate, I wrote quite a long post on her on the 5th of January, entitled "Old idea, time travel, & Ginny's oomph".  My position at the moment is wait and see if she develops a bit more oomph in ensuing books before making a ruling.  I did provide the devout Ginny defenders with an acronym, though: any new takers for a GIANT CUSHION?  (Ginny Isn't A Naive, Trivial Child Unworthy of Security Harry's Interest: Object Now!)

rohit:
> perhaps Ron and Hermione getting together will isolate Harry sufficiently to seek friendship (and more?) with Ginny.  However, again, is it just me or is that too saccharine sweet (?)<

Weeeell, depends on how it's done.  Love interests and romance and relationships need not be saccharine sweet by definition; under the wrong circumstances they can be hideous, tortured, plot-driving.  If, as JKR has promised, she's going to crank up the horror in the last three books, death and gore everywhere, she could easily slip in some romance as a counterpoint (though I doubt it will take centre stage).  After all, she did in GoF.  Couldn't we have a traumatised Harry, almost catatonic with shock and grief, being held and comforted and sliding into kissing with Cho/Ginny/Hermione/whoever (note, alphabetical order)?  After all, Molly did soothe him maternally in GoF after Cedric's death.

Grey Wolf:
> H.A.R.D. S.H.I.P.W.R.E.C.K. (Harry And Ron Don't Ship: Heroic Impulse Permits Winning, but Rather Expectedly it Causes a Killing Sacrifice).

Which brings me to the increasingly cheeky Grey Wolf, breathing bloodstained breath down the good Captain's neck with his suggestion that JKR might include Ron *and* Harry in the carnage, thus rendering any romantic attachements fruitless and tragic (cor!  The slavering predatory instincts of those lupines!  Next he'll be adding Hagrid and Dumbledore and Snape to the body count.  And what about Hermione?  Surely we need to add some female corpses to the collection.)

Grey Wolf:
> "... and thus the grey wolf continued to run tirelessly across the plains and mountains, forever chassing the good captain Tabouli in her desperate flight to protect her TAGS, knowing full-well that some day he would discover the inner workings of the machine. Until then, Tabouli's days would be filled with chagrin of the persecution of the grey shadow, and her nights with the spine-chilling sound of the wolf's baying."<
>
>Which means: Tabouli, my acronym breaks a few rules (like including the "and" but not the "but"), could you please devise a better one?<

Alas, Captain Tabouli is still confined to her cabin, exchanging increasingly angry semaphore with her ISP.  However, if the paws of the wolf are behind her incarceration, he has made one fatal error.  The MAGI (Magnificent Acronym Generating Instrument) is out of his reach, locked in the chamber with her.  Smiling grimly, she slips Grey Wolf's application into the machine, and presses the lever for "Nautical theme".  It offers:

SHARK ATTACK (Sadly, Harry And Ron Kindle Amorous Ties Then Are Cruelly Killed)

...then reconfigures to include Ron and Harry's glorious sacrifice for the cause near the end of the series:

TWO BRAVE HARBOURS (They Win Overall, But Ron And Voldemort's Enemy Harry Avoid Romance Because Of Ultimate, Regrettable Sacrifice).

Tabouli (stealthily making a call to an Irish wolfhound breeder)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]